February 7, 2011
Greetings from the Maclay Bridge Alliance.
Maclay Bridge Alliance has reviewed and scanned documents maintained by the county pertaining to Maclay Bridge. These documents have been posted on the Maclay Bridge web site at www.maclaybridge.org.
At our last report, MBA was in the process of requesting a feasibility study to determine the need and address the impacts of a replacement bridge at the western extension of South Avenue. It is important that such a study be conducted before a memorandum of agreement outlining construction responsibilities between the county and the state is signed. We asked the county to consider a roundtable discussion with our group to informally begin the dialogue. The county has not yet agreed but we are still awaiting that decision by county commissioners.
I am sure many of you saw the front page of the Jan. 28, 2011 Missoulian. The article entitled “Retiring Spans” discussed the condition of various bridges in and around Missoula, including Maclay Bridge. This article quoted Public Works Director Greg Robertson as saying the bridge is “off limits” for emergency responders like fire trucks. Robertson has been corrected on that issue multiple times, but he persists in making that statement. Emergency vehicles do use Maclay Bridge frequently, without undue risk. To verify that, one of our members called the fire department and was told that they do in fact use the bridge. School buses use it daily.
The article went on to discuss the ‘Sufficiency Rating’. It is quite low for Maclay Bridge, being 32.5. Sufficiency Rating is a measure of the bridge against modern standards for lane width, weight capacity, approach alignment, and other considerations. It is depicted on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 being a new bridge. The article also briefly discussed the ‘Health Index’ which for Maclay Bridge is 96.39 and happens to be among the highest in Missoula. The health index is a measure of the strength and physical condition of the bridge itself. Health Index is also measured on a scale of 0 to 100.
When Sufficiency Rating is low enough, the bridge is classified as “Functionally Obsolete”. That means the bridge is old and outdated. If the Health Index were as low as the Sufficiency Rating, we would have no choice. We would have to replace it, but in the final analysis, what we have is an ‘old, outdated bridge that is sound as a rock.
That means we have an option. We can replace it if we want to pay the price and live with the impacts to the environment and infrastructure, or we can continue to maintain and use it, considering it an icon that defines our area. (Comments are welcome)
The next meeting for Maclay Bridge Alliance will be February 18, 2011. All interested parties are welcome.
Bob Schweitzer 544-9066
